Cup Noodles Isekai Crossovers Pair Ramen With Japan’s Snack Icons
Nissin's three new Cup Noodle crossovers with Gindaco, Karamucho and Gohan Desu Yo went on sale in Japan on November 9. A Japanese-language taste tester rated two of them two and three stars out of five, and called the curry-and-chili one amazing.
Nissin's Cup Noodle Isekai Gattai series, three cup noodles isekai crossovers with other Japanese food brands, went on sale in Japan on November 9, 2026. A taste test published November 15 found the results ranged from forgettable to "amazing."
Nissin, the maker of Cup Noodle, announced the series last month. The partners are Gindaco, east Japan's favorite chain of takoyaki (octopus dumpling) shops, and Karamucho, the country's most popular brand of spicy potato crisp snacks. The third is Gohan Desu Yo, a simmered seaweed paste usually spread over white rice.
The cups are sold at Japanese supermarkets and convenience stores. "Isekai" refers to the anime and manga genre in which a character is reborn in another world.
How they are made
Each cup is simple to prepare. Add hot water, wait three minutes, pour in the extra ingredient packet and stir.
The taste tester judged two things: how well each cup recreates its guest brand, and how good the combination tastes. Each got a score of one to five stars on both counts.
Seafood and Gohan Desu Yo
This cup combines Seafood Cup Noodle with the seaweed paste. The paste melts quickly in the broth and loses its texture and much of its flavor. The Seafood broth also ends up tasting diluted.
The tester said the two flavors are similar but different enough that they do not enhance each other. It does not taste bad, she found, but fans of either product would likely enjoy them better separately. Both scores were two stars out of five.
Standard Cup Noodle and Gindaco
The standard soy sauce-based Cup Noodle gets a Gindaco oil packet. The broth then tastes almost exactly like Gindaco's takoyaki sauce, which is something like a sweet Worcester sauce.
Seaweed flakes, another takoyaki topping, show up in the aroma. The "octopus-style balls" recall the center of a takoyaki. Because it is a noodle soup, it lacks the crisp surface of the real dumplings. Both scores were three stars out of five.
Curry and Karamucho
The tester called this one "amazing." Curry Cup Noodle has a touch of sweetness, and the Karamucho hot chili powder adds sharp heat and garlic notes.
The cup also includes small flattened potato pieces, which the tester said the flavor fully justifies as an unorthodox ramen topping.
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